He was a fantastic political operator and a very successful PM but his accent wasn't the reason for his success. His intelligence, family background and education played a big part!
I am surprised by that. I have heard a lot of criticism of Starmer, much of it utterly manufactured wibble, but him being "posh" and "southern" has never come up.
yes they didn't have to under Lettuce Liz Truss..................
Not quite, but it is an exact replay of Truss (just like Starmer’s premiership has IMO many similarities to Johnson’s). She told her party members “you can have tax cuts”, Starmer’s successor will tell Labour they can have huge spending increases.
"huge" is subjective. I think there will be promises of more spending in targeted areas but not suicidal spending. That said apparently my entire world view, as a labour member, is predicated on public spending so I will just vote for the biggest clown.
Sorry to offend. But Tory members voted for Truss, who was basically their id. Why should Labour voters be any different?
Exactly this. Spend more and more public money squeezing middle England even more. The result will be Labour losing the next General Election and Reform coming in. The great irony of that is it will massively decrease the quality of life for those that Labour seeks to improve. Take healthcare for example - the provision of health services to the low income unemployed, elderly and disabled is a comprehensive taxpayer funded system based on clinical need that is far beyond what such individuals could ever expect under the Reform insurance funded approach.
only teasing - it is a fair point. I just don't think the likely candidates such as Burnham and Streeting are turn on the taps types. Rayner perhaps, Milliband perhaps less so.
Exactly this, we need to focus on infrastructure and investment. Starmer used to speak a good game, and seemed to be doing some sensible reforms with how spending was categorised early on, but it feels like we never saw the investment manifest in reality.
True. I'm not suggesting that a northern PM would be all sunshine and rainbows, or that Wilson was only successful because he was from Huddersfield. But given lots of the support for Reform comes from a desire to be "represented" in some way, maybe having an identifiably northern PM would aid that in some respect, given it is 50 years since Wilson retired.
To be fair, your experience is probably slightly more extensive than mine! But of course many of the same people see Rayner as a scruffy oik, so they really can't win...
Agreed. Blair and Boris both posher but with much, much better people skills that Starmer
Sad but true.... The backbenchers have shown precious little discipline. There are good reasons why one might not support the (not that severe) welfare reforms proposed on a point of principle but back benchers do need to allow the government to govern.
In my humble opinion, he's done an excellent job with Manchester's public transport, and it's only half-way through (buses done - rail next + more tram lines etc). Huge worry that if he left, the next mayor would be Reform and set about, well, reversing it all.
usually a thick scruffy oik!
the problem is he isn't an MP and has lost the leadership elections twice
Think we've come a long way since his attempts to lead and he has now - arguably? - proved himself as Mayor.
To go off on a tangent, Starmer has reaffirmed Labour’s traditional roots and values: high taxes, high spending, interference in the economy, social conservatism, Atlanticism. His is a recognisably “old Labour” government. It’s just that this is either entirely outdated or it doesn’t appeal to the people who actually vote Labour nowadays. It’s designed to appeal to Bert the steelworker in Durham. Bert died twenty years ago and his son loves Farage!
Another major issue with politics in recent years is that whereas MPs used to be almost amateurs, and regarded themselves as there to support the party leadership- “I always voted at my party’s call, I never thought of thinking for myself at all”- nowadays they are professionals, who try to establish themselves as “local champions”. This creates a tendency to hostility to any kind of change- especially a tendency to Nimbyism. This is one area where I admire the brutal conformity of the SNP!
The country could definitely do with a huge package of “mortgage” spending- one of the ways we can break out of our economic torpor- with rail as a major component- but let’s be real, a government of the Labour left is going to be offering more of the “credit card” (great analogy btw) stuff. It’s one reason why farmers are so bitter about the tax hike- centuries of work sold to fund this year’s benefits bill.
he has - and I voted for him twice - but he has the most difficult path to leadership. He has 2 elections to win.
Equally though, who is going to want Streeting? Everyone knows Burnham would be the better candidate so it seems both the PLP and the electorate will be asked to accept a second tier candidate. That is hardly an election winning prospect!
Not me. Might be unfair but he looks and sounds really dull, and a bit Jenericky.
Middle England aren't generally Reform supporters though and probably would be prepared to pay more tax (in the guise of supporting Liberal Democrat and Labour policies) if that is what is needed to keep Reform out.
He's a terrible communicator with no overarching vision or opinions beyond what his advisors - or sometimes some lawyers - say. That's really his major fault.
Not much that really matters - however the media and social media wibblers have been allowed to create a "worst PM ever narrative" which is now running wild in the minds of those estranged from intellectual consideration
